December 5, 2013, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sean Parnell ordered state flags to be lowered to half-staff on Friday in honor of Judge James von der Heydt. Judge von der Heydt died on December 1. He was 94.

Judge von der Heydt came to Alaska in 1943 and worked in the construction field before he was appointed deputy U.S. marshal, U.S. commissioner at Nome, and U.S. attorney respectively. He was a member of the Alaska Territorial Legislature during the 1957 session. In 1959, he was appointed to the Superior Court in Juneau. President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed von der Heydt to the position of U.S. District judge for the District of Alaska in 1966 – a position he held until his retirement in 1994.

Judge von der Heydt is survived by his wife of 61 years, Verna. State flags will be lowered on Friday, December 6. State flags will remain lowered, along with U.S. flags, on Saturday in observance of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. All flags should be returned to full-staff on Sunday, December 8.

Source: Office of Governor Parnell